Those of you with experience with cisterns

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Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Those of you with experience with cisterns


Author	Message
grover Member	# Posted: 13 Oct 2021 11:40am Reply I have a 1200 gallon concrete cistern buried with the top exposed. Iâ€™m planning the plumbing now and Iâ€™m wondering how cold it will get inside the cistern. My concern is the pipes freezing. Was planning on a union near the lid. If I can use a pitless adapter it will keep it lower and less prone to freeze, I think. I am in southern Indiana so it doesnâ€™t get extremely cold but we do get some weeks where it stays in the teens with some nights near zero.

frankpaige Member	# Posted: 13 Oct 2021 10:00pm Reply No cistern here. Just tossing thoughts out. Inside? Bet it gets chilly, but? Does the top get sunshine? Mostly shade? Think that inside the temps would be cool, but not cold enough to freeze. "Comes with all disclaimers". It is the outside pipes I would be most concerned with. I would be timid, very timid. It is you statement about "some weeks where it stays in the teens" At those temps, it just gets cumulative.

gcrank1 Member	# Posted: 13 Oct 2021 11:06pm - Edited by: gcrank1 Reply My guess would be to keep the water level below the average frost depth of your area. That might actually be a bit lower than needed but should be 'safe'.

NorthRick Member	# Posted: 15 Oct 2021 01:12am Reply The rule of thumb up here is that an inch of foam board insulation is worth about a foot of dirt as far as frost depth goes. Put a few inches of foam board over the cistern and the piping runs and I think you will be fine. Go 1 foot out horizontally for each inch of insulation.

spencerin Member	# Posted: 16 Oct 2021 06:26pm Reply grover, where in southern IN are you? I'm in Crawford County.

grover Member	# Posted: 16 Oct 2021 10:35pm Reply Perry county Foam board sounds like cheap insurance. Can the closed cell board be buried too? Was thinking of putting some over the top of my buried water line.

NorthRick Member	# Posted: 17 Oct 2021 12:03pm Reply Quoting: grover Foam board sounds like cheap insurance. Can the closed cell board be buried too? Yes. That's actually better as it is more resistant to absorbing water which lowers the R value of the insulation.